Five thousand years ago, the Chinese emperor Shennong was visiting a distant part of his kingdom. The sun beat down on him. He grew thirsty and stopped to rest.

The emperor’s servants boiled him some water to drink. They boiled it because Emperor Shennong had made a law that all drinking water in the kingdom must be boiled. The rule protected people from unsafe water. As his servants boiled the water, leaves from a bush fell into the hot liquid. Emperor Shennong sipped it. It tasted refreshing. Its caffeine helped him think clearly. On that day in 2737 B.C., tea was born. From then on, Emperor Shennong wanted nothing but tea to drink.

Emperor Shennong is a mythical character. That means he is at least partly made-up. According to legend, Shennong was born with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Legend also says he spoke at just three days old, walked during his first week, and could plow a field at age three! Now those are some outrageous claims! Is the tea invention story a tall tale too?

It might be. But tea probably did come from China almost 5,000 years ago. We know that because Chinese people mentioned tea in writings from way back then. All kinds of teas—black, green, oolong, and white—come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Tea-like drinks that come from other plants or ingredients are called herbal teas or tisanes.

People in Great Britain have valued tea for a long time—but not as long as people in China have. Chinese tea has a very long history. As centuries passed, people started adding other ingredients to it such as orange peels, ginger, and salt. Buddhist monks began using it to help them stay awake during meditation. People also began to use it as medicine.

Even today, people seem to share Emperor Shennong’s high opinion of tea. After water, tea is the most-consumed drink in the world!